Map of lower (baggage pickup) floor of SeaTac Airport
This page provides a simple checklist of things to do once you arrive at Seattle's SeaTac Airport and other basic tactical information.
EASY INFORMATION ACCESS:
- Everything About University of Washington
- 1. From plane to baggage claim
- 2. Renting a car
- 3. Ground transportation from the airport
- 4. Driving from the Airport or Seattle to the meeting site
- 5. What to bring
- 6. Meeting other people at the airport
- 7. If all goes wrong
- 8. Departing from Seatac
- 9. Controling meeting costs
Map of lower (baggage pickup) floor of SeaTac Airport
U.S. Flights. United and Northwest arrivals come into satellite terminals N or S. Other carriers arrive at concourses A, B, C, or D. If you arrive at a concourse then walk into the main terminal and go downstairs to baggage claim. If you arrive at a satellite terminal then go downstairs and take a train (every 3 minutes) to the main terminal, then go up one floor to the baggage claim area. Allow 10-15 minutes for bags to arrive.
International Flights Overseas visitors will need to clear customs upon arrival at some airport. I describe the procedures at SeaTac; however, procedures are similar everywhere in the U.S.
If you clear customs in Seattle then your plane will arrive at the south satellite terminal, which is NOT the main terminal. Here you will clear customs and then take a train to the main terminal and baggage claim before you leave the airport. Allow 30-40 minutes from arrival to luggage pickup, or longer if other international flights arrive at the same time.
Fill out the appropriate form that you will receive on the incoming flight. Before you de-plane, have your passport, your entry visa (if you need it), and your form in your pocket or within easy reach. After leaving the plane follow the queue for non-U.S. citizens (don't get in the line for U.S. citizens by mistake!). Your passport and, if you need it, your entry visa will be inspected. Proceed downstairs for your bags. Once they are collected you will go through an area in which you may or may not have anything to declare for customs payment and an agricultural inspection (required). You may NOT bring fruits, farm produce, open food, smoked or fresh meats, etc. into the U.S. from abroad.
Just when you think that you've cleared customs and that you're on your way, you will find more lines. All bags checked on the flight MUST be surrendered once more for conveyance to baggage claim - you cannot take them yourself. All carryon bags will be inspected and x-rayed. Finally, when you've cleared the inspection area and you leave the secure customs area, you must await a train (every 3 minutes) to take you to the main terminal. Baggage will arrive at carousel number 1 near the south end of the lower level of the main terminal.
2. Renting a car.
Rental cars. Many people will be renting cars. There are three types of rental agencies: those with booths (counters) and cars inside the airport neaart baggage claim (Alamo, Avis, Budget, Hertz, and National), those with a counter in the airport but cars reachable only by shuttle, and those with counters and cars located putside the airport campus (generally the less epensive companies). In-airport agencies have booths near baggage claim. Others should be called (from a phone in the baggage claim area) where your will be told how to reach them by shuttle (50 US cents US or a credit card for public phones).
| On-site counter and cars Alamo: (206) 431-7588 1-800-462-5266 Avis: 1-800-331-1212 Budget: 1-800-435-1880 Hertz: 1-800-654-3131 National: 1-800-328-4567 |
On-site counter, off-site cars Advantage: 1-800-777-5500 (206) 824-0161 Dollar: (206) 433-5825 Enterprise: (206) 248-9013 Thrifty: (206) 246-7565 |
Off-site counter and cars Ace Extra Car Rentals (206) 248-3452 Century/Rent Rite (206) 246-5039 U Save (206) 242-9778 |
A note on renting cars. Most companies require that you be at least 25 years old to rent a car. You can be jailed if you are requested by a police officer to show proof of valid coverage and you don't. Most personal U.S. and Canadian auto insurance policies and some gold or platinum credit cards automatically provide full liability coverage; however you should check first. Note -- You will be driving to the meeting on country roads, so the chances of theft or accident are relatively small -- though hitting a deer is not uncommon. (You may wish to have insurance if you plan to drive or stay in congested areas.)
Other than Alamo, Avis, Budget, Hertz, and National, all rental car companies keep their rental cars parked 1 km or more from the airport on their private lot, and that's where you will return the car on departure. To reach these lots you will probably take a shuttle as described next.
3. Ground Transportation from the Airport.
All shuttles arrive on the second floor of the seven-storey parking lot across the street from baggage claim. Directions are well marked. Use an escalator or elevator to reach the sky bridges that connect the main terminal to the fourth floor of the parking garage. Follow the signs to another escalator or elevator to the shuttle pick-up area downstairs on the second floor.
Shuttles to local hotels. If you are staying at a nearby hotel with shuttle service, then go to the shuttle pickup area, as described above. You will see banks of phones where you can call most hotels and motels in the airport area. They will instruct you about the shuttle. If you are staying at a more distant hotel then you should take a cab or bus.
Cabs. Directions for finding a cab are nearly the same as those for a shuttle. Cross the sky bridge and follow the signs to an escalator to the taxi area. Only one company, STITA, operates cabs at the airport. Most of these are cars, but vans for up to 6 passengers are also available at the same price on request. You may need to wait a while for a van to arrive. Pay about $35 University of Washington.
Taxi rates are regulated by King county. The basic rate is $1.80 + $1.80/mile + 0.50/passenger (more than two) + $0.50/minute + $1 airport fee. Downtown is a flat $25. .
4. Driving from the Airport or Seattle to the meeting site.
You can either drive (>$200/week) or take a cab ($35?? for up to 3 people in a car or 6 people in a van).
Driving directions.
Find your way to I-5 freeway heading north.
Stay on I-5 north for a while to take 45th ST. Exit.
Take a right on 45th ST once off the exit.
Follow 45th St....up hill... cross 15th AVE NE.
Take first right into University of Washington Campus
5. What to bring.
Talks, posters, ad laptops: We will have a Mac Titanium laptop with Powerpoint and a video projector, so you need only bring a CD-R, CD-RW or USB "Card" (flash memory) with your Powerpoint presentation if you don't want to haul your laptop with you. (N.B. We can't garanteee that PC-based Powerpoint will work on the Mac laptop - sometimes there are problems with movies.)
Posters will be mounted in pairs on rented boards, each of which is 8 feet (240 cm) wide by 4 feet (120 cm) high. So please be sure that your poster width is no wider than 4 feet (120 cm). We will supply push pins.
There might not be ethernet or wireless connections at the hotel. If you wish to read your email, then bring a laptop with a phone modem. If you must connect, then be sure that you know the phone number of your ISP's call-up modem service. Long distance phone charges will apply.
Map of upper (departure) floor of SeaTac Airport
6. Meeting other people at the Airport.
People who are sharing rides to the meeting may wish to meet at a central, easily found location in the main terminal outside of the security gates. I recommend the chairs and tables in front of the restaurant "Fresh Express". The restaurant is shown in the airport map above. It is located to the left of the entrance to security at concourse B and behind the ticket counter "2" which is dominated by Northwest/KLM. There are many commercial services nearby, including ATMs and money exchange. Best of all the area is open and not crowded, making it easy to find other people. However, if you are looking for someone that you have never met, be sure that you make yourself easy to identify.
7. If all goes wrong.
8. Departing from Seatac.
People arriving at the airport by taxi will be dropped off near the appropriate ticket counter on the upper level. People who return rented cars should get explicit directions for returning the car at the time that they rent it. Some companies have car drops in the airport, and others have return locations outside the airport, requiring a shuttle ride to the airport. Shuttle rides can add up to 30-minutes (worst case).
Once inside the airport, ticket counters and security areas are much the same as all over the rest of the world. Clearing secrity often takes 15 minutes, but there are very busy periods during the morning when security-related delays are **much worse**. You are likely to be asked to remove your laptops and to take off your shoes. Those people departing on Northweest/KLM, United and international flights may be required to take the train to the north or south satellite terminals, adding another 5-10 minutes.
9. Controlling meeting costs.
Is your budget tight? Consider these possibilities.
Waiving the registration fee is not possible. We will do our best to supplement the registration fees of young researchers without grant support who wish to present a talk or poster at the meeting. Because our income and costs are not known until shortly before the meeting begins, it is very difficult for us to make early commitments. If funds become available for registration supplements they will be appied at the meeting.